Machine for heat-sealing thermoplastic materials



E. J. lAmlNA 2,638,964

May 19, 1953 'l MACHINE FOR lv-IEAT-SALINGv THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS Filed Feb. 7, 1950 A Tij-5a I NVENTOR. 52H6: T ENDINH BY ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT orsi-cs MACHINE FOR HEAT-SEALING THERMO- PLASTIC MATERIALS'- 4 Claims.- 1

This invention relates to machines and methods for heat-sealing thermoplastic materials. More particularly the invention is' concerned with apparatuses and processes for effecting a seal of juxtaposed thermoplastic pellicles under the influence of heat and pressure.

Ordinarily it is comparatively simple autogenously to seal two plastic films to one' another under' the inuence of heat and pressure. The conventional vmethod simply is to apply heat and pressure at the p'oint of sealing. IThis can be carried out, for example, with a pair of pressure jaws, at least one of which is heated, and which are moved toward and away from one another and between which the sheets to be sealed are interposed, or by feeding the layers to be sealed between a pair of pressure rollers at least one of which' is heated.

However, some plastics cannot be sealed in such a simple fashion. It has been found that certain plastics are'adhesive at heat sealing temperatures and, therefore, tend to stick to the heated pressure member so that when the pressure members Separate the momentarily sealed lrns are pulled apartar stick to the heated member and cannot be'- removed easily. Examplesv o'f such films are Polythene (polyethylene), P'Iiolm' (rubber hy dr'o'chlori-de), Koro'seal (polyvinyl chloride), and Saran.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for sealing films of the character described without destroying the seal or the lms.

It is anotherobject of the invention to provide a method and apparatus which can heat-seal iilms of the character described quickly, simply and ef'liciently.

It also is well known that films of the character describedhave a tendency to shrink' in the vicinity of the heat-seal, causing the pellicles to be come wrinkled around the seal.

itis a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus of the character described capable of heat-sealing plasticssuoliv as abovev mentioned without leaving the same wrinkled.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and? in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention, accordingly, consistsin theA fea-` tures of construction,` combinations of elements'- and arrangements of parts,l which will be exem-` pliiied in tllede'vic'e'sy hereinafter described, and of which` the scope of application will be indicated ,in the appended claims.

In the lacconl'panying drawings in which are shown various possible embodiments ofthe invention,

Fig. l is a front, partially schematic view ofl a foot-operated sealing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, certain portions of the apparatus having parts `broken away better to show their internal cdristruttion;l

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken'substantially along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the apparatus being shown with the pressure jaws spaced apart to admit plastic sheets;

Fig. 3' is a' perspective view oi an open plastic bag such as is adapted to be sealed in apparatus embodying the present; invention;

Fig. 4 is a view similar' to Fig; 2, but' with the pressure jaws closed;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, `but showing the envelope after it has' been closed by heatsealing;

Fig'. 6 is a front View of' an apparatus. embodying a modified form of the invention;

Fig. '7 is a perspective'viewoi a web constituting a flat plastic tube which is adapted to be heatsealed in an apparatus embodying` another modied form of the' invention.

Fig. 8is a front view of a machine incorporating a modied'form of the' invention and adapted to heat-seal a Websuch as shown in Fig. 7'; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional View taken substantially along the line 9"-9 o'fFig. 8`.

Referring now in detail to the drawings', and more particularly to Figs. 1-5, the reference numeral- I9I denotes a-n apparatus embodying the present invention. SaidA apparatus' comprises' a movable sealing shoe t2 of' any suitable conguration. The shoe is attached toand carri-ed by a metal frame Mi which, in order' to permit interchanging of shoes has a slot' i6' formed in its undersurface. The shoe includes an' upstanding rib F8 designed toA be' iii-,ted within said' slot. Said shoe is detachably held place" by any suitable means, for example, by machinescrews 2f@ which pass freely through openings in the sealing shoe and are threaded into tappedholes in the frame I4. The frame is secured, for instance lwith bolts 22, to a rod 2li reciprocally mounted in a bearing 26. As shown herein, the bearing is disposed to hold therod` vertically;

Means also is included to oscillate said' rod when: desired. Suchv means includes a footy treadle 28 which rocks on al pin 3i?. Said treadle is pivotally connected' by another pin 32- tc the lower end. of averti'cal linfkl 34 whoseI upper end is pivotally connectedby a-pm 38 tc the back of a l s rocking beam 38 plv-oted at 4U. The forward end of the rocking beam is pivotally connected to a short link 42 which is pivotally connected to the upper end of the rod 24. Thus the operator, by pressing the foot treadle, can lower the sealing shoe.

The apparatus includes means continuously to heat the sealing shoe to sealing temperature. Said means optionally may be in the form of a thermostatically controlled heating cartridge 45 snugly received within a horizontally extending well 48 near the top of the frame I4. Leads 50 run to a suitable source of electrical energy (not shown). A switch (also not shown) may be interposed in the leads.

The apparatus may be provided with a support or stationary jaw 52 that is unheated although, if desired, this jaw can be mildly heated to a temperature below sealing temperature. For a purpose which later will be pointed out, the surface of this jaw which is employed for sealing may be covered with a layer 4 of cushioning material. Any such material can be used which is not affected by the pressure or temperature to which this layer is subjected. Cloth, for instance, will give satisfactory results.

As thus far described, the apparatus is conventional and has been referred to in detail principally to facilitate understanding of the invention.

In accordance with the instant invention, the apparatus includes a sheet 55 of material beneath and normally spaced from the operative undersurface of the sealing shoe I2. rIhis sheet and the sealing shoe are so mutually arranged that the sealing shoe can be moved into and out of engagement with one surface of said sheet,

the other surface of the sheet being adapted to engage objects to be heat-sealed. The material of which said sheet isl composed is characterized by its ability to withstand the heat and pressure imposed thereon as yan incident to heat-sealing. The following are examples of satisfactory materials: sheets of metal, e. g. aluminum, copper, brass and steel sheets; mineral fiber, e. g. asbestos cloth and glass cloth; animal fiber, e. g. wool cloth; vegetable ber, e. gQcotton cloth; and synthetic plastics which `are stable at the temperature employed for sealing. One material which I have found particularly satisfactory is Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene). This material is employed as a comparatively thin sheet, ranging from 0.001 to 0.010 of an inch in thickness.

The sheet 55 conveniently is elongated in the same direction as the sealing shoe and is supported by a hollow oblong plate 58. Said sheet covers the elongated opening of the plate and is located on the lower surface thereof. If desired, the plate may include upper and lower sections between which the sheet is clamped. Alternatively the illustrated construction can be ernployed wherein mounting strips 6I) are employed to hold the lsheet in position.

The plate 53 and the sheet 55 are carried by the sealing shoe. More specifically, said plate includes a set of erect pins v62 whose lower ends are affixed thereto.

The upper ends of the pins are slidable in pilot holes provided in the frame I4. Each pin is encircled by a compressed spring 64 disposed between the frame I4 and plate 58. To limitdownward movement of the plate relative to the sealing shoe, the several pins `are provided with collars 66 disposed above the frame I4.

In the operation of the device, a bag 63, such i for example as shown in Fig. 3, which has been filled and whose mouth l@ still is open has its open side inserted in the apparatus It between the stationary jaw 52 and the sheet 55. The operator then steps on the treadle 28 causing the rod 24 to descend. As this occurs, the sheet 55 first will press against the upper surface of the bag mouth and force the lower surface oi the mouth against the jaw 52. Thereafter, the sealing shoe will descend into contact with and press against the upper surface of the sheet 55. Heat will ow from the sealingl shoe through the sheet 56 into the mouth of the bag to be sealed and the pressure of the operators foot on the treadle 28 will cause pressure to be applied to the zone of the bag to be sealed.

After a suflicient period of time, determined by experience, pressure is released from the treadle and the parts thereupon will resume their idle position shown in Fig. 1. Resumption of this position may be caused by a spring or by gravity. 1n the latter case, the link 34 is made sufliciently heavy to overbalance the treadle and rod and parts carried thereby.

As the rod 24 moves upward, first the sealing shoe will rise and separate from the sheet 56. Further upward movement of the spindle, after the full separation of said sheet and sealing shoe, will lift the sheet away from the jaw 52. These two actions follow one another very quickly in actual practice, so that when the sheet 56 is lifted the seal which just has been formed still is hot. As a result, the sealed pellicles will adhere to the undersurface of the sheet 56 and be lifted thereby. Such adherence causes the seal substantially to maintain its original areal configuration, that is to say, it will greatly minimize or prevent the sheet from shrinking in the region of the seal and thus little or no shrinking of the sealed pellicles will occur.

The sheet 56 will cool rapidly because the sealing shoe has been disengaged therefrom and because said sheet has only a small heat storage capacity due to its thinness. The heat remaining yin the sheet after disengagement from the sealing shoe quickly is lost by radiation and convection from the large iiat surface of the sheet. As the sheet cools down so do the plastic pellicles which had been heat-sealed, until eventually, in a period of time well below a minute,v

the heat-sealed pellicles drop to a temperature at which they no longer are adhesive. At this point, said pellicles either will drop off the sheet 56 by virtue of their own weight or they can be pulled off the Teflon sheet with a very slight effort. In either event the heat-sealed pellicles will be stripped from the Teflon sheet without mutilation of the seal.

The apparatus l!) can be modied for automatic use in order to enable it to be employed, for example, as part of a machine in which a sequence of operations is performed in accordance with a predetermined timing cycle.

Such a modified apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein, instead of employing a treadleactuated linkage mechanism for reciprocation of l the heated jaw, a cam is employed for such purpose. Said modified form of apparatus is denoted by the reference numeral 30 and all parts of the sealing apparatus which are similar to like components of the apparatus I0 are denoted by similar reference characters primed.

Said apparatus has a frame I 4 carried by shafthas mounted thereona disc 86 in whicha cam groove 88 is fashioned. A roller B0 which rides .in said groove .is secured to the Arod 24.. The upper end Vof `said rod' .is 4formed `with an elongated verticalslot '32 which slides along the shaft at to guide said end of therod.

It also will be appreciated that, if desired, the apparatus til can be vemployed `Without a jaw .52 directly beneath and .in contact with oneio'f :the pellicles to sealed. v

The apparatus .can be simplified where the-.pellicles to be sealed move along a path transverse to the direction of movement of the sealing shoe, i. e., parallel to the plane of the sheet 56. An example of such a simplified apparatus is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 wherein such apparatus is denoted by the reference numeral |00.

This apparatus is specially designed for use in conjunction with sealing a web |02 constituting a flattened plastic tube having a wall thickness of the same order as that of plastic lms. Said tube is passed through the apparatus over suitable guide means, as for example between a pair of rollers |03, |04. IThe roller |04 in conjunction with an associated roller |06, function as feed rollers for the web. Said roller |06 is intermittently actuated by a Geneva train |08 from a drive shaft 10 so that during a cycle of operation of the machine, the web first is advanced and then stopped.

The drive shaft, in addition to a sheave I2 which powers the Geneva drive, carries a cam |4 having a tracl; H3 in which a roller I8 rides. The roller is supported at one end of a lever |20 whose opposite end is connected by a link |22 to a rod |24 which is mounted for reciprocation in a vertical journal |26. The lower end of the rod carries a frame |28 in which a sealing shoe |30 is detachably secured in the same fashion as that in which the shoe |2 is mounted. The frame |28 has a heating cartridge |32 accommodated in a suitable chamber |34. Said frame is guided for movement by pilot pins |36 slidable in apertures |38 in the frame.

At a point intermediate the rolls |03, |04 a platform |40 is provided having a slotted bed |42 across which the web |02 rides. This bed is directly beneath the sealing shoe. The pilot pins |36 are secured to and project from said platform. Also secured to the platform is a sheet |44 made of the same material as the sheet 56, for example rlleflon. This sheet spans the bed |42 and is held adjacent opposite sides thereon in any suitable fashion, for instance by mounting strips |46 and screws |48. The upper surface of the Teon sheet is perpendicular to the direction of reciprocation of the sealing shoe and the undersurface of said sheet is parallel to the web |02 and its path of movement as it crosses the platform |40. Since the web moves in a fixed path, the Teflon sheet can be located very close to it. As a matter of practice it can be placed onesixteenth of an inch from the path of the web.

In the operation of the device the cam ||4 is timed to move the sealing shoe against the Teflon sheet when the web |02 is stationary. The sealing shoe will depress the Teiion sheet into contact with the web with suicient pressure and for a sufficient period of time to heat-seal the web as indicated by the dotted lines |50 (see Fig. 7). Subsequently, the shoe will back off and the web, after cooling, will separate from the sheet before the web again is advanced.

It thus will be seen that I have provided machines and methods for heat-sealing thermoplastic materials which :achieve .the `several. objects of `my invention and .are well .adapted 5ta .meet the conditionsof lpractical unse.

LAS various possibieembodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes: vmight .be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter-herein described, 1OrshOtvn inthe accompanying drawings, Iisjto 'beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. y g

Having thus described the 'invention .there is claimed asnew and desired to be securedbyLetters Patent:

l. Apparatus for heat-sealing thermoplastic pellicles, said apparatus comprising a sheet capable of maintaining its own form under the heat and pressure imposed thereon as an incident to heat-sealing, a frame engaging the edges of said sheet to support said sheet in fiat condition, a sealing shoe, means continuously to heat said sealing shoe, means to mount said sealing shoe for movement into and out of engagement with one side of said fiat sheet, means ot connect said shoe and frame and a spring biasing said shoe and frame apart.

2. An apparatus for heat-sealing thermoplastic pellicles, said appartaus comprising a sheet capable of maintaining its own form under the heat and pressure imposed thereon as an incident to heat-sealing, said sheet being adapted to contact a thermoplastic pellicle in the region to be heat-sealed, a frame engaging the edges of said sheet to support said sheet, a sealing shoe,

means to heat said sealing shoe, means to mount said sealing shoe for movement into and out of engagement with the side of said sheet opposite to the side which is adapted to engage a thermoplastic pellicle, and a spring biasing the shoe and frame apart.

3. An apparatus for heat-sealing thermoplastic pellicles, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a sealing shoe, means to heat said sealing shoe, means to mount said sealing shoe for movement between a position in proximity to the anvil and a position remote from the anvil, a sheet capable of maintaining its own form under the heat and pressure imposed thereon as an incident to heat-sealing, and means to support the edge of said sheet from said shoe with the sheet in position between the anvil and the side of the shoe facing the anvil, said last named means including means to mount said sheet for movement toward and away from said side and a spring biasing the sheet away from said side, whereby the sheet is normally spaced from said side, and when the shoe is moved from its second named position to its first named position, a pellicle on the anvil first will be contacted by the sheet and subsequently the shoe will press the pellicle against the anvil through the sheet.

4. An apparatus for heat-sealing thermoplastic pellicles, said apparatus comprising an anvil, a sheet capable of maintaining its own form undel` the heat and pressure imposed thereon as an incident to heat-sealing, a frame engaging the edges of said sheet to support said sheet in fiat condition, means mounting said frame for movement between an operative position in which the sheet contacts a pellicle on the anvil and an idle position in which the sheet is spaced from a pellicle on the anvil, a sealing' shoe located on the side of the sheet opposite from a pellicle on the anvil, means to heat said sealing shoe, and means mounting said shoe for movement between an operative position in 7 which the shoe engages the sheet and presses the sheet against a pellicle on the anvil and an idle position in which the shoe is spaced from the sheet and from a pellicle on the anvil.

ERNEST J. ANDINA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date' Helle July 28, 1931 Paugh Aug. 21, 1934 Whitehead Feb. 16, 1943 Eenigenburg July 3, 1945 Teplitz Feb. 12, 1946 Rohdin May 18, 1948 Langer Feb. 1, 1949 Staw June 21, 1949 Langer May 30, 1950 Hawk June 20, 1950 

